From donning jerseys to waving flags, this Bengaluru neighbourhood has its heart for Brazil

Gowthamapuram, the ‘mini-Brazil’ of Bengaluru, is gearing up to welcome the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Players here are fans of the Brazil team, and residents are proud of the statue of Pele built here. Plans are on to paint and refurbish the Pele statue, while carnivals and neighbourhood tournaments are being planned ahead of the World Cup.

'Mini Brazil' has trained several sportspersons, including athlete P Kannan, also known as Asian Pele. “Football has become a tradition in our area and all of us are trained from a very young age. I have been playing football since the age of eight and have been selected for the Bangalore United team. My role model is Neymar and I aspire to become a footballer,” says Santhosh, a student at the Government PU College, Domlur.

FIFA World Cup is the most anticipated festival at Gowthamapuram, and the local football clubs organise events in celebration. “During the FIFA World Cup, it is a ritual in our area to wear the jersey of Brazil and waive the Brazilian flag,” says U Babu, a football coach for over two decades, who is also an HAL employee.

This year’s theme is inspired by Brazilian carnivals. “We intend to organise a carnival, replicating the celebrations in Brazil. We want to include props such as face covers and eye masks,” says Ravi, an artist and a football fan.

The area also has a Gowthamapuram Football Camp (GFC), an initiative by residents to train children aged four years and above in sports, especially football.

The camp has been training children for the past 15 to 20 years, except for a brief period during the pandemic. Children are trained by the residents themselves who have scaled great heights in football.

GFC members also actively participate in competitions. “The primary goal of this initiative is to identify young talent, nurture their strengths and help them join bigger associations like Kickstart FC and Bengaluru FC,” says Vishwanathan, a member.

Coach Babu says lack of sponsorship for football is a major problem in India. “We train young individuals with calibre so as to enrol them in institutions with greater recognition. In spite of that, our sportspersons are not provided with secure job opportunities. The future of each sportsperson depends on their performance, and they are admitted to sports organisations on a contractual basis. They have fewer job opportunities in places such as the ASC, MEG, and Income Tax,” he says.

“Indeed, people are becoming more conscious about the sport, but it is far from being everyone’s favourite. We are organising football camps and competitions to create more awareness,” says Vimal, an entrepreneur and footballer.

Football fans in and around Austin Town and Srirampura in Malleswaram have also planned special events during the FIFA World Cup season.